The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) has been in the news this week after it was reported that a landlord on the Sunshine Coast would be forced to discount rent for its long-term tenants after the QCAT ruled the landlord could not demonstrate that reducing the rent would put the landlord at a financial [...]

It would appear, at least anecdotally, there is a prevailing view that the expedited mediation service offered by the Victorian Small Business Commission (SBC) during the COVID-19 crisis is aimed at providing assistance to tenants only. This is however not the case and both tenants and landlords alike can make an application for referral of [...]

Following the introduction of the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Commercial Leases and Licences) Regulations 2020 (Vic), many tenants and landlords have been in the unfortunate position of trying to navigate an agreement on rental concessions against a backdrop of regulations which are, to some extent, lacking in clarity. Helpfully, the Small Business Commission (SBC) has [...]

On 24 April 2020, the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 (Vic) came into effect (the Legislation) following similar legislation in other states. This legislation provides for a range of measures to help Victorians cope with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. However, we are still not there yet in terms of complete clarity for [...]